GIRL POWER: Lucas in top 10, Hawks state bound with runner-up finish at 2A State Qualifying Meet

Heeren 19th to lead SH boys

October 23, 2012

AMES - Kayla Lucas ran 4 kilometers and one step before she kissed the ground on a picturesque afternoon at the ISU cross country course yesterday.

Meghan Fisher made it 4 kilometers and four steps before she joined her teammate crumpled near the finish line.

But, hey, with a lot of pain came a lot of gain.

Article Photos

DFJ photo by Troy BanningSouth Hamilton sophomore Kayla Lucas (350) stays focused as she climbs the first hill at yesterday's Class 2A State Qualifying Meet in Ames. The Hawks placed second to advance to state.

DFJ photo by Troy BanningSouth Hamilton sophomore Kali Lucas digs for the finish line at yesterday’s Class 2A State Qualifying Meet at the ISU course in Ames. She finished 25th to help the Hawks earn a second straight ticket to the state meet.

DFJ photo by Troy BanningAllyson Ervin (348) and Rachael Huegerich stick together as they exit the woods during the girls’ 4K race yesterday in Ames. They placed 15th and 18th, respectively, to help South Hamilton finish second in the team standings.

DFJ photo by Troy BanningHawks’ sophomore Jacob Heeren sprints to the finish during the boys’ 5K race yesterday in Ames. He finished 19th in the 2A state qualifier.

DFJ photo by Troy Banning

Every member of the South Hamilton girls' team emptied the gas tank at a Class 2A State Qualifying Meet, and the reward was a second consecutive trip to state following a runner-up finish in the field of 12.

The eighth-ranked Hawks placed all five scoring runners in the top 25 and compiled 88 points, trailing only No. 4 Gilbert (58), which had the individual champion in defending 2A state gold medalist Sadie Timms (16:10.77). Third-place finisher and No. 10 Roland-Story (107) also advanced to state.

All three will run on Saturday at Lakeside Golf Course on the outskirts of Fort Dodge.

No other team in the field had five runners among the first 25 to cross.

"This is really exciting," Lucas, a sophomore who served as team leader by placing ninth in 16:32.97, said after managing to catch her breath. "To make it (to state) again is just awesome."

Fighting off a lingering cold in recent weeks, Lucas was finally able to unleash her entire arsenal and the result was a fight to the finish with the front pack. She finished just 22 seconds behind Timms and the rest of the Hawks followed with strong performances.

"It was just exhaustion (at the end)," Lucas said. "The whole race I felt tired, but I just had to keep going and I felt like I had a really good race."

South Hamilton will be represented at the state meet for an 18th consecutive year, and that brought relief to rookie head coach Darrell Paulsen.

"The girls are excited and I'm relieved," Paulsen said. "I knew coming in we had a pretty good shot, but the kids performed and it was a team effort. It was fun."

Sophomore Allyson Ervin and freshman Rachael Huegerich jockeyed with each other for much of the race. Ervin (17:19.74) used her long stride and fierce kick to push into 15th by the end of the race, and Huegerich (17:39.08) checked in three spots behind in 18th.

Fisher (17:51.84) didn't fall until she clipped two runners over the final 100 meters to finish in 23th; there were 87 total runners.

"I was really proud of the boys, too. They ran hard," Paulsen said. "It was a tough (field), but we performed really well against some pretty big schools."

Sophomore Jacob Heeren had an outside shot of cracking the top 10 and qualifying as an individual, as he galloped in 11th at the halfway point, but he was unable to reel in the leaders and eventually placed 19th in 18:57.41.

"For the first 2 miles Jacob gave it everything he's got," Paulsen said. "I was really proud of him."